User blog:Spike Angel/Blazing Rescue Chapter 11
Darington, Stripes, and Gabby returned to find a pile of fresh vomit, and it didn't take a master detective to figure out who had produced it. "Seriously, Blaze is what, the third of us to get sick? Is there a stomach bug in the air?" Darington joked. "Ha, ha, real funny, man." Stripes deadpanned. Blaze rolled his eyes. Was now REALLY the time for jokes? "I side with Stripes, that joke was ill-timed, no pun intended." Gabby agreed. "But you might just be onto something, Darington." The Monster Machines shared a confused glance between each other, unsure as to what Gabby might have been implying. "Gabby? Where exactly are you going with this, hon?" "Well, Starla, remember when Darington and Zeg got sick after the boat almost capsized?" Darington and Zeg shuddered at the memory. "Yeah, but Gabby, they could've just gotten seasick." AJ reasoned. Blaze nodded in agreement. "Yeah, but remember when you guys participated in the Race to the Top of the World? Darington and Zeg didn't get seasick then." Realizing that Gabby also had a point, Blaze again nodded in agreement. Zeg gently nudged an opened water bottle towards Blaze's lips until he opened his mouth and started drinking. "Make sure he doesn't drink too quickly, Zeg. We don't want a repeat of, well...that." Gabby advised, pointing to the vomit for emphasis. Zeg nodded in acknowledgement, and heeded the advice. Blaze, becoming hungry, starts pointing to a box of crackers. AJ notices this. "Gabby, Blaze is getting hungry. Can we feed him?" Gabby thought about it. On the one hand, it was only crackers, but on the other hand, she was afraid Blaze might end up vomiting again. "I guess, as long as we feed him slowly. Also, just a heads up, if his vomit EVER looks like coffee grounds, you guys have to tell me right away. I don't care if you have to wake me up." "Gabby, no one even BROUGHT coffee. What does THAT have to do anything?" asked a confused Darington. "If someone's vomit looks like coffee grounds, it might mean they're bleeding internally." Stripes explained. Darington covered his mouth with his tires. Stripes nodded, acknowledging his best friend's reaction. AJ couldn't help but feel bad for Blaze. Absolutely NOTHING has been going his way lately, and the boy wasn't sure how much of this he could take. He just hoped the monster machine didn't snap. Blaze is a nice guy and all....but he was the textbook definition of "beware the nice ones." AJ shuddered, remembering the last time Blaze had lost his temper. "AJ? You ok, little buddy?" "I'm fine, Stripes." AJ tried reassuring the tiger. But, he wasn't convinced. pulling AJ aside. "You sure, AJ?" AJ sighed. Starla wasn't joking when she said it was easier to win a race with 4 flat tires and without gas than lie to Stripes. "Sharp as a knife, that one." The cowgirl had told him at the time. The child prodigy couldn't help but agree. Stripes would have quite the future in police work if not for his racing career. "Truthfully, no. Things just haven't been going Blaze's way, lately-first, Phoenix and Ember get taken, we almost met the Grim Reaper on the way here, Darington and Zeg got sick, and now HE'S sick. Honestly, I'm not sure how much of this Blaze can take." Stripes tilted his head in confusion. "Not to doubt your judgement, AJ, but Blaze usually stays calm and collected under pressure. Remember when you two helped save my Jungle Horn?" "Yes, but that time-no offense-not much was at stake. This time it's Blaze's parents we're talking about. They raised him for 18 years, and he'd do ANYTHING for them." Stripes had to admit this was reasonable. After all, he'd do the same if he were in Blaze's tires. "Believe it or not, I'm actually gonna feel kinda bad for whoever took Phoenix and Ember. Blaze is a nice guy and all, but when he snaps..." AJ trailed off, shuddering. He remembered the last time Blaze had snapped, and it wasn't pretty. "That bad, huh?" Stripes guessed. "I'd give you an example, but Blaze and I agreed never to speak of that day again." AJ confessed. Stripes' eyes widened in shock. What could Blaze possibly have done? The tiger shoved his curiousity aside, knowing all too well the significance of a pact between best friends. "I respect that, AJ." "Thanks, Stripes." AJ figured that the only way Stripes, or the others for that manner, would understand how nasty his best friend gets when he snaps is to put it into perspective; "Remember how mad Blaze got when you guys were catching us up on what happened during the last race?" Stripes nodded. "Well, take all that anger, multiply it by 1,000, and you have Blaze when he snaps." AJ explained. "It's not pretty, I hope you guys NEVER see him like that." "Don't worry, AJ, it probably won't happen, but we'll be able to calm him down if it does." Stripes reassured. AJ sighed in relief. "Feel better?" "Much, thanks, Stripes. Anyone ever tell you you're a great listener? Seriously, you'd make a killer therapist." Stripes blushed at the compliment. "Aww, thanks, AJ, but I don't plan on quitting my day job any time soon." The tiger and the boy shared a hug, before parting to help the others nurse Blaze back to health. Category:Blog posts